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Mint
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Photographing the Dalai Lama for 35 years: Inside Manuel Bauer's rarely seen archive
Swiss photographer Manuel Bauer first met Tenzin Gyatso, better known to the world as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, in 1990. Back then, Bauer was a 23-year-old rookie journalist, hungry to make an impression in his first job. As luck would have it, he didn't have to try too hard for a big break. Early on in his career, Bauer was sent on an assignment to photograph the Dalai Lama, an encounter that would change the course of his life. For one, it was an unusual initiation into the world of photojournalism, where the familiar rules of engagement seemed to have turned topsy-turvy. Unlike most other celebrities, here was one who was neither pricey nor given to throwing tantrums. The great Tibetan leader didn't at all seem to mind being trailed by a restless young man with a camera. In fact, he welcomed Bauer to photograph him in his private chambers, too, a rare privilege then and since. Also read: Frederick Forsyth's 'Jackal' is back in 2025 'At the time, I thought it was normal for all photojournalists to get such close access to him," Bauer says when we meet in Delhi for the launch of his new book, Dalai Lama, with texts by Thupten Jinpa and captions by Christian Schmidt (Roli, ₹4,995). 'It was only much later that I realised how fortunate I had been," he adds. His gratitude has only deepened in the last 35 years, while his fascination with his subject, who recently turned 90, remains undiminished. Inspired by his early meeting with the Dalai Lama, Bauer began to study Tibetan history and culture, which grew into a lifelong interest in Buddhism and social justice, igniting a mission to highlight the exiled community's suffering to the world. In 2001, Bauer decided to devote focused time to documenting and archiving the Dalai Lama's life, acting as his uncrowned 'official photographer". It has been a difficult, often expensive, project but Bauer continues to do it, undeterred. He has done freelance work as a photojournalist, teacher and artist to fund his trips to India to spend time with the Dalai Lama at his home in Dharamshala or to follow him around the world on his travels. In fact, he spends the most of his time editing, researching, sorting and organising the vast archive of photographs he has amassed. 'I believe in the power of the image as an icon," Bauer says. 'When someone looks at my photographs of the Dalai Lama 20 years from now, I want them to see something new and fresh." Looking at the rich selection of images in the book, one is struck by the truth behind Bauer's statement. The Dalai Lama, like all spiritual leaders, has a strong presence in photographs, many of which are ubiquitous on the internet. Public figures are meant to smile, look serious, impress the crowds with their charm and wit. The Dalai Lama does all these things too. But then, Bauer also shows us aspects of his personality that we don't commonly expect to see: The Dalai Lama exercising on a treadmill, eating a meal while immersed in his studies, bursting into uproarious laughter, or meditating on a bed in a hotel room. While dozens of Bauer's photographs feel candid and effortless, the images are a testimony to his perseverance. 'Although His Holiness was open to be shadowed by me, it was tough to navigate the tight security protocol around him," he says. To begin with, Bauer had to be on top of the Dalai Lama's schedule. 'I had to be at the right place at the right time," he says. 'If he went into an elevator with his security and I had no idea where he was headed, the entire day could be a waste for me." Then there was always the risk of running into the unpredictable—such as the time when the Dalai Lama had to be whisked out of the University of Zurich following a bomb scare. Bauer writes about this incident with wry humour in the book, but at the time, it must have felt terrifying being trapped in the basement of the building, as the guards went looking for the key to the emergency exit. Bauer may be as enterprising and daredevil as any photojournalist worth their salt, but he isn't trigger happy. 'I've an ambivalent relationship with the camera," he says. 'It is an aggressive machine that can be used to manipulate others." From the beginning, he made some ground rules and stuck to them. For instance, he would not shoot the Dalai Lama when he was leading a retreat or interrupt him when he was deep in meditation. 'I used to ask him if I disturbed him with my clicking," Bauer says. 'But he always said, 'No problem, I just ignore you.' He can get back his focus in seconds." What's even more fascinating for Bauer is the seemingly unchanging aspect of the Dalai Lama's personality. 'He is the same person on and off stage," he says. 'He may be delivering a complex lecture on tantra before an audience of 30,000 or joking with me on the sidelines, but he is always the same person, inside and outside." When he first started following the Dalai Lama, Bauer was mentally prepared to lose his ideal image of the man. Instead, that image has grown only stronger over the years. 'His daily practice of analytical meditation has given him an incredible ability to focus on logic over emotions," Bauer says. 'He can understand in a flash whether he is acting out of compassion or egotism and control his feelings swiftly." One time, Bauer tells me, after landing in Madrid, the Dalai Lama found that his suitcase, which contained his pain medication, had been lost in transit. Already experiencing considerable discomfort, he lost control for a moment, wondering why it hadn't arrived at the destination. And yet, in the very next second, he had accepted his predicament with equanimity. 'What's the point of being unhappy when there is no medication at hand anyway? His Holiness said," Bauer recalls. Spending long stretches of time, even though intermittently, with an iconic spiritual leader does enrich one's repertoire of experiences. At the same time, especially for a photographer, prolonged proximity to a subject may feel daunting. How do you bring in novelty and fresh appeal to your art when the focus of your work remains unchanging and evergreen? 'Scientifically speaking, a photograph is just reflected light," says Bauer. 'But some pictures manage to look inside, go beyond the surface." As someone who believes in the power of the 'decisive moment"—when the stars align to enable the perfect choreography of beauty and mystery—he is always grappling with one key question. 'How can I photograph the Dalai Lama's huge knowledge, his deep presence, and his endless compassion for the world?" Also read: A new anthology of writings from south Asia celebrates marginalised voices
Mint
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Frederick Forsyth's ‘Jackal' is back in 2025
I first read Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal 25 years ago as a college student, longing for a pick-me-up while I was struggling to write an essay on the 18th-century poet, John Dryden. It was just the antidote I needed against the endless rhyming couplets and iambic pentameters, the roll call of fops and dandies, that were fogging up my brain. Not quite an avid reader of thrillers then or now, I was surprised to find myself not only hooked to the pace of the action but also rooting for the hero, an unnamed assassin who goes only by the moniker of ' the Jackal." I wanted him to succeed in his mission to kill the controversial and divisive French President, Charles de Gaulle. Only much later did I realise that the 'target" had already died of natural causes a year before the novel was published in 1971. That knowledge put an ingenious spin on the masterful game of suspense and disbelief that Forsyth, who died last month at the age of 86, was playing with his readers. In a tribute to Forsyth's genius published shortly after his death on 9 June, the celebrated thriller writer Lee Child made an astute observation about the unique appeal of The Day of the Jackal. In writing this book, his first, Forsyth showed the reader that 'the how question was as powerful as who," as Child put it. 'He created a year zero thriller that reset the whole game." Recently, after I watched (and mostly enjoyed) a new adaptation of the novel for TV (starring Eddie Redmayne in the lead), I decided to pick up Forsyth's book again after all these years to see if, and how, it has aged. Reimagined for a 21st-century audience, with advanced gadgets and technology that make espionage and crime mightily sophisticated these days, the TV show substantially departs from Forsyth's plot, which, on a reread, felt clunky and occasionally dense. The Jackal, circa 2025, is fit and cunning like the one his creator put on the page in 1971. Except now he is armed with state-of-the-art weapons and ammunition (the entire show is a thirst trap for gun lovers). He is adept at striking deals on the dark web, an expert in creating disguises and aliases. He has a stash of fake passports in a secret vault and access to thick wads of cash, in a wide range of currencies, that enables him to fly off to anywhere at the drop of a hat. What's more, he doesn't hesitate to use sex as bait, even when it involves seducing another man. In short, he is James Bond gone rogue, and woke. Whereas Forsyth took great pains to depict the planning of the murder from its inception and the political storm that enabled it, the show's focus is squarely on the Jackal, who is just a seasoned mercenary. He already knows the best gunmakers around town, and his knowledge of artillery, thanks to his army background, is phenomenal. In this sense, the show reinvents the question of 'how"—the one which impressed Child so much when he read Forsyth's book for the first time at the age of 18. What it also does, somewhat clumsily, is give the Jackal a back story that lends psychological depth to his character. In spite of the poker face he puts on, he is, we learn, a family man, with a Spanish wife, who has no idea of his real identity, and a loving father to a toddler. Redmayne's Jackal is also far more self-reliant than his earlier incarnation. Instead of depending entirely on experts in his trade, people who live in the shadows, he knows enough about coding 3D printers to co-create the right gun for his job. He doesn't require external agents to help him put on make-up to make himself unrecognisable to the authorities. Alexander Duggan, the alias that Forsyth's Jackal steals from a dead child, is given a quirky twist in the reincarnated version, too. Above all, the pace at which he works is lightning fast, thanks to all the fancy tech that wasn't available to his predecessor. No wonder the prose that once seemed to be flying off the page felt rather congealed as I read the book this time. Divergences apart, the emotional pull of the novel, as well as the show, remains as potent. The Jackal's big target in the show is a billionaire tech bro, who has decided to make penance and release a software that would expose the dirty dealings of the rich all over the world. Ulle Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla), guided by an inscrutable good angel, wants to turn the world into a better place for the future generations, even at the cost of his fortunes, while his rich friends want to eliminate him, and his software. The assassin's previous victim in the show is a right-wing politician in Germany, so it's not as if this new assignment is influenced by any ideological learnings. There is no motivation for him to do the job other than the staggering fee he had been promised. And so, he embarks on it with a fearsome precision, moving with a stealth that would put a cat to shame, developing a plan that defies even the tightest security cordon in the world. (When Ulle Charles Dag takes his morning swim, for instance, a group of bodyguards swim alongside him, while others trail him on a mini flotilla of boats.) As in the book, the Jackal remains unflappable, near-impossible to read. Redmayne's impassive face, complimented by the proverbial stiff upper lip, does the job credibly. In contrast to his chilling blankness is the bustling energy of his nemesis, an MI6 agent called Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch). She is as much of a gun enthusiast as him, not quite the ideal parent (like him, again), and just as ruthless. And yet, the audience's sympathy, which should have been with Bianca—she puts her life, family and career at stake to do her job—seems to tilt in favour of the Jackal. The underdog who succeeds against all odds is a familiar trope in the history of fiction. But in the case of The Day of the Jackal, the underdog doesn't rise to glory from the ashes. He is a cold-blooded killer, who will murder anyone for money. It's a testimony to Forsyth's genius that he could turn a textbook villain into a heroic figure, brave enough to take on the mighty status quo and defeat it with single-handed guile. So what if he isn't a Batman or a Robin Hood? In a world overrun with megalomaniac plutocrats, a fictional assassin's creed of executing a flawless hit, his ability to do a task perfectly, may be just the metaphor we need to push back against the forces that control our lives. Rereadings is a monthly column on backlisted books that have much to offer in contemporary times.
Scottish Sun
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Fury as woke Labour council bans Army vehicles – including open-top Jackal – from ARMED FORCES DAY parade
Labour's veterans minister Al Carns, who won a Military Cross in Afghanistan, slammed the decision Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A COUNCIL sparked outrage by banning Army vehicles including an open-top Jackal from Armed Forces Day celebrations today. The Labour authority's leader in York said the decision was due to 'residents' concerns' and fears of protests — and 'reflects our city's diverse views'. 1 A council sparked outrage by banning Army vehicles including an open-top Jackal from Armed Forces Day celebrations Credit: Crown Copyright/MoD But soldiers from local reserve unit the Queen's Own Yeomanry withdrew from the event in protest, defence sources told The Sun. One said: 'It was like asking the cavalry to come without horses. It is humiliating. 'They wanted to attend with the Jackal but they were told that they were not welcome.' A whistle-blower told the Fill Your Boots military blog that the council was worried about 'triggering a protest'. READ MORE ON ARMED FORCES SUNEMPLOYMENT How to join the Armed Forces and quick march into a rewarding military career But Labour's veterans minister Al Carns, who won a Military Cross in Afghanistan, said: 'The only reason people have the right to protest is because our military provide the freedoms to do so.' Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake slammed the ban as 'plain bonkers'. He said: 'This is a snub on our servicemen and veterans to appease a tiny minority. 'We shouldn't be ashamed of our military showing off their equipment and uniform, it's something we should be proud of.' Council chief Claire Douglas claimed it was 'a mutual, local decision'. Instead, the authority has promoted a new 'family friendly' Armed Forces Day Trail taking in the city's key military sites.
The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Fury as woke Labour council bans Army vehicles – including open-top Jackal – from ARMED FORCES DAY parade
A COUNCIL sparked outrage by banning Army vehicles including an open-top Jackal from Armed Forces Day celebrations today. The Labour authority's leader in York said the decision was due to 'residents' concerns' and fears of protests — and 'reflects our city's diverse views'. Advertisement 1 A council sparked outrage by banning Army vehicles including an open-top Jackal from Armed Forces Day celebrations Credit: Crown Copyright/MoD But soldiers from local reserve unit the Queen's Own Yeomanry withdrew from the event in protest, defence sources told The Sun. One said: 'It was like asking the cavalry to come without horses. It is humiliating. 'They wanted to attend with the Jackal but they were told that they were not welcome.' A whistle-blower told the Fill Your Boots military blog that the council was worried about 'triggering a protest'. Advertisement But Labour's veterans minister Al Carns, who won a Military Cross in Afghanistan, said: 'The only reason people have the right to protest is because our military provide the freedoms to do so.' Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake slammed the ban as 'plain bonkers'. He said: 'This is a snub on our servicemen and veterans to appease a tiny minority. 'We shouldn't be ashamed of our military showing off their equipment and uniform, it's something we should be proud of.' Advertisement Most read in The Sun Council chief Claire Douglas claimed it was 'a mutual, local decision'. Instead, the authority has promoted a new 'family friendly' Armed Forces Day Trail taking in the city's key military sites. Prince of Wales meets troops on visit to military base in Estonia
The Irish Sun
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Russian ‘Day of the Jackal' plot to assassinate Zelensky at Polish airport foiled by Ukraine as would-be hitman arrested
UKRAINE foiled a Day of the Jackal plot to assassinate President Zelensky with a sniper. Russia's feared FSB spy service had activated a sleeper agent to carry out the hit in Poland. 7 Ukraine has foiled a 'Day of the Jackal' plot to assassinate President Zelensky, it has been revealed Credit: Getty 7 This isn't the first time President Vladimir Putin has been accused of orchestrating attempts to kill Zelensky Credit: Reuters 7 The assassin was set to kill Zelensky at Poland's Rzeszów Airport, where British troops were based Credit: Getty 7 The would-be killer was a retired military officer, Ukraine's SBU spy service said yesterday. He had been recruited 'decades earlier' and was planning to kill Zelensky at It echoes the plot of the Jackal spy thriller – remade with Eddie Redmayne last year – in which a sniper attempts to a kill high value target but ultimately fails. Ukraine's SBU spy chief Lt Gen Vasyl Maliuk said the FSB agent plotted 'several options' including a sniper and a drone. Read More on World News He said: 'The task was the physical elimination of President Zelensky at Rzeszow airport. 'Several options were considered. One of them was an FPV drone, the other was a sniper.' Maliuk said the sleeper agent had been recruited through nostaliga for the collapsed USSR and "nurtured" over many years. He was detained in a joint operation with Poland 's Homeland Security Agency. Most read in The Sun He claimed over 500 Russian spies had been caught during the war – including two senior colonels whose job was to guard top officials. Maliuk said the boss of the FSB's feared Fifth Service, Ukrainian troops advance as they blast Russian self-propelled howitzer Details emerged as President Zelensky swooped into London for talks with Both men have flown through Rzeszow travelling to and from Ukraine. Zelensky told The Sun he had He said: 'The first one is very interesting, when it is the first time, and after that it is just like Covid. 'First of all people don't know what to do with it and it's looking very scary. 'And then after that, it is just intelligence just sharing with you detail that one more group came to Ukraine to [attempt] this.' 7 Ukrainian forces on the front line near Kostiantynvka earlier this month Credit: Getty 7 Members of the White Angel unit of Ukrainian police officers check an area for residents amid Russia's attack on Ukraine in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region Credit: Reuters 7 A factory on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, burns after being hit by multiple Shaheed drones during a Russian strike in April Credit: Alamy Russian special forces parachuted into In February, Zelensky also revealed The brave leader revealed that people died inside his office in Kyiv when Vladimir Putin sent hitmen to wipe him out and take over Ukraine . In an interview with the If everyone wants peace why is the war in Ukraine still raging? The answer is very simple By Jerome Starkey EVERYONE says they want peace, so why is the war still raging in Ukraine? The short answer is simple: Peace means very different things to very different people. They have different goals and different motives. Vladimir Putin wants total conquest. And he wants to be remembered as a modern Tsar who restored Russia's imperial greatness. Ukraine wants to survive, as a sovereign independent nation. Europe wants a chastened Russia and peace that lasts beyond six months. Trump just wants a deal — any deal at any price — with minerals thrown in for good measure. He wants to claim the glory and The American position is clear from the terrible deal they want Kyiv to accept. Their That is an area the size of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is roughly 20 per cent of Ukraine's sovereign territory. In return, Russia would hand back small pockets of territory, including the Moscow would also give up its ambitions to capture the parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson provinces that its troops have been unable to take by force. But crucially, for Ukraine, there are no security guarantees. That means there is nothing to stop Russia catching its breath, rearming and invading again a few months or years later. The president added: "There were people who wanted to kill [me]. There were gunshots and more. "Some people were killed here, inside the Presidential Office, others were defending us." Zelensky did not reveal the number of people killed during the act, nor did he specify if they were Russians, Ukrainians, or both. Details of the latest plots came as came as a massive missile and drone blitz killed at least eight people in Kyiv and injured dozens more. Ukraine's President Zelensky said a hospital and several homes were hit when Russia fired more than 360 missiles and drones.
